The Japanese government stated on Monday that it will offer UNICEF with around US$39 million in emergency funds to help construct vaccine cold chains in Nigeria and 31 other African and Latin American countries affected by COVID-19.
The Government of Japan’s funding complements the work of the COVAX Facility, an international vaccine procurement mechanism dedicated to ensuring that people in all countries have equitable and timely access to vaccines.
UNICEF will use these funding to cooperate with the government to supply cold chain equipment in priority storage sites based on gap analysis, improving vaccine storage capacity and facilitating vaccine potency monitoring.
This has a significant impact on the country’s overall goal of preventing COVID-19 by vaccination, as well as the entire immunization program for child survival.
In each of the six states chosen, a walk-in freezer room will be erected. Solar vaccine refrigerators will be built in 175 wards where vaccine storage capacity is lacking. Temperature monitoring devices will be placed at 18 state cold storage facilities, with technical help provided to set up and maintain the equipment and devices.These supplies will ensure that the vaccines are of high quality.
Rushnan Murtaza, Officer in Charge, Representative, UNICEF Nigeria said, “We welcome the generous support of the Government and the people of Japan to Nigeria, as we continue to grapple with the impact of COVID-19. These funds will allow us to more effectively implement the strategy to ensure as many Nigerians as possible receive COVID-19 vaccinations, ensuring timeliness and efficacy of the vaccines, so that we can work towards a better future for all. UNICEF will continue to work with the Government of Nigeria, Government of Japan and other partners to support the COVID-19 response and to deliver positive outcomes for child survival and promote equitable access to vaccines for all.”
UNICEF has played a central role in supporting the procurement, transportation, and storage of COVID-19 vaccines to Nigeria and other countries, taking advantage of its long-standing vaccine procurement, storage, and transportation experience, as well as its existing immunization infrastructure.
